Chapter 597 Mother

Having seen quite a few corpses over the years, I certainly can't be unable to distinguish between "sleeping like dead" and "dying like asleep." Although Zhu Jiu lay motionless, her complexion was rosy, and her breathing was even. She had the body temperature of a living person, and I could hear her heartbeat. She was undeniably alive.

Both Zhu Shi and Mr. Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't know if I should be disappointed. Normal moral values ​​told me that my friend's mother was still alive, and I should at least offer my congratulations. Although I'm not a person who conforms to normal morals, I couldn't help but feel ashamed of my dark thoughts, and I also knew that I shouldn't show any attitude that would spoil the mood for those around me.

We walked over together and gathered around Zhu Jiu's bedside. A complex look appeared in Xiao Wan's eyes as she looked down at Zhu Jiu's face, seemingly lost.

“Little Bowl… right?” Old Mr. Zhu addressed her tentatively. “Since you are now… you are now using my daughter’s soul, then if you touch her body…”

In some ghost stories related to out-of-body experiences, people suffering from serious illnesses or having near-death experiences may have their souls leave their bodies and see their unconscious bodies from an observer's perspective. However, as soon as they make direct contact with their bodies, their souls will return to their bodies as if they were sucked in.

Similar records exist in many documents from Luoshan. Although Xiaowan appears to be able to interact with matter at will, it is actually still an illusory soul. Moreover, unlike a rootless ghost, in my observation, Xiaowan has a spiritual connection with Zhu Jiu's body, which is very close to it. Perhaps it really can use that body as a container, wearing it like clothes.

Looking at Zhu Jiu's youthful and beautiful face on the bed, just like that of Sister Zhu Shi, I imagined Xiao Wan standing in front of me in Zhu Jiu's appearance, obediently calling her "Brother Zhuang Cheng," and I felt that it was so incongruous.

Xiao Wan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently stroked Zhu Jiu's cheek.

Zhu Shi looked at the small bowl with trepidation.

The outline of the small bowl appeared with a faint, ethereal light, but this light quickly dimmed and disappeared, reminiscent of a household light fixture that failed to start due to insufficient power.

She did not automatically enter Zhu Jiu's body.

Under Zhu Shi's questioning gaze, Xiao Wan said out of the blue, "...I see."

"What do you understand?" I asked.

“I have an instinct to return to this body, and I can feel that this body wants to suck me in,” Xiaowan said. “However, for the time being, I am a different being from this body. Just as a puzzle piece cannot fit into a gap that is not its own size, I cannot smoothly enter this body.”

"Of course, if you use methods like spirit possession to forcibly embed yourself into it, that's a different story... but that's just a way to get Zhu Jiu's body moving, not to actually bring Zhu Jiu back."

Mr. Zhu suddenly asked, "Then, what if we use the power of return? If we use Ma Zao's power of return, can her soul return?"

“That’s impossible too.” Xiaowan shook her head. “A long time ago, Asaha-neechan used the power of reversion to reset me. That was the first time I met Asaha-neechan, when she saved me from the brink of demonic possession…”

"Because both Zhu Jiu and Zhu Shi in their childhood had an obsession with making Zhu Shi happy, an error occurred at the time, and what appeared after the restoration was the current me. If Sister Mazao had known about this deviation earlier, she might have been able to eliminate all the errors that occurred during the restoration work and successfully restore Zhu Jiu, but now it is too late."

"The power of the Right Position Heaven and Earth will automatically maintain my existence, and the power of return can no longer eliminate this malfunction. Even if Asahi-neechan's power is very strong, this is still the case, because the Right Position Heaven and Earth on my side is an enhanced version mixed with the power of the Divine Seal Fragment."

"At the same time, even if Asahi-neechan could return to the time when she first met me, it would be of no use. The power of the Divine Seal fragments would correct all the elements that might affect the current Void Apostles through 'altering history.' This is the same principle as the historical consequences caused by humans and gods... and the Great Impermanence, which cannot be altered."

"There are two ways I can think of to make me revert to Zhu Jiu."

"One method is to first make Asaha-neechan become the Great Impermanence, and then use the power of return to the realm of gods to forcibly suppress my rightful Dharma Heaven and Earth power. As long as the power of the Great Impermanence is present, even the power of the fragments of the divine seal will become less absolute."

Ma Zao remained silent.

Even if she really became the Great Impermanence, she couldn't forcibly restore Xiao Wan to Zhu Jiu's form, as that would be tantamount to killing Xiao Wan.

There wasn't such a strong relationship between her and Zhu Jiu.

"Then... is there another way?" Zhu Shi asked.

Upon hearing this question, Xiao Wan looked at Zhu Shi and fell silent for some reason, as if she was pondering something.

She gazed at Zhu Shi for a long time, then suddenly revealed a faint smile.

"Hiyuki, may I come over here?" she said softly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi froze, seemingly taking a step back involuntarily. Old Mr. Zhu was also stunned, looking at the small bowl with a surprised and suspicious gaze.

"Wh...what?" Zhu Shi was a little incoherent.

“I want to take a good look at you,” Little Bowl said.

Zhu Shi became flustered, looking at the small bowl and then at Zhu Jiu lying on the bed, as if trying her best to figure something out.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Zhu Shi asked, completely bewildered.

I also raised a question: "Xiao Wan, is it really okay for you to have contact with Zhu Shi?"

The past Lu Youxun came into contact with the national first-class demon hunter medal he had abandoned and which held his dreams, and that's how he transformed back into Lu Chan. The dream-like Lu Chan, the girl, also vanished completely at that moment. If Xiao Wan were to come into contact with Zhu Shi, who knows what the consequences would be?

Xiao Wan just shook her head and said, "No problem."

Then, Xiao Wan looked at Zhu Shi again without saying anything, seemingly waiting for Zhu Shi to come over on his own. After a while, Zhu Shi swallowed hard and walked up to Xiao Wan with a stiff upper lip.

Xiao Wan looked up at Zhu Shi and waved downwards. Zhu Shi hesitated for a moment, then slightly lowered his waist. Xiao Wan waved again, so Zhu Shi had to squat down, making himself lower than Xiao Wan.

At this point, Xiao Wan was finally satisfied. She first stretched out her left hand and slowly, gently, stroked Zhu Shi's cheek with her small palm.

At first, Zhu Shi seemed a little resistant, wanting to turn her head away, but she restrained herself. Then, Xiao Wan stretched out her right hand and stroked Zhu Shi's cheeks as if holding a precious treasure. Then her hands slowly moved, stroking Zhu Shi's hair. Her two tender little hands were like combs, and the fine, smooth hair, like a black waterfall, flowed and slid between her fingers.

Zhu Shi's expression gradually relaxed. She gazed intently into Xiao Wan's eyes, and Xiao Wan stared back at her intently. She seemed mesmerized, leaning forward slightly as if to embrace Xiao Wan.

Xiao Wan's hands returned to Zhu Shi's cheeks, gently stroking her eye sockets with her fingertips—those eyes that housed the power of Buzhou Mountain.

Not long ago, Xiaowan told me that only by seeing Zhu Shi in person, talking to him, and touching his body could she truly know whether she wanted to fulfill her innate mission.

And now, it seems she has gotten that answer.

"Jiu Xing, your eyes have become so strong now," Xiao Wan said. "To become so strong, you must have suffered a lot."

Tears suddenly welled up in Zhu Shi's eyes, and she hugged Xiao Wan tightly. Xiao Wan hugged her back back as if she were a child, gently patting her back.

"...There is another way, which is to put an end to my obsession." Xiaowan then continued to us, "I not only want Mazao-neechan to be happy, but also Hisayuki. Just like she dreamed in her childhood, to be with the person she loves, to walk down the aisle, and to live a peaceful and beautiful life."

“Once I have completed all my missions, I will return even without the power of return. Zhu Jiu will return to this body through the spiritual connection. And I will naturally withdraw, like a dream finally coming to an end.”

Asaha hesitated for a moment: "But..."

"...But wouldn't that be contradictory?"

Old Mr. Zhu seemed unsure of his tone when speaking to Xiao Wan, but finally adjusted to a comfortable distance and continued, "My granddaughter has no romantic feelings. Whether she gets married or not is another matter, but I don't think she'll ever truly fall in love with anyone. That kind of thing is just not going to happen in the first place."

"If you want her to return to a romantic relationship, you must first eliminate your own presence; but if you want to eliminate your own presence, you must first let her fall in love... Isn't this a vicious cycle?"

“It won’t turn out like that,” Xiaowan said. “The person responsible for making the judgment is not Hisayuki herself, but me. As long as I feel that Hisayuki’s life is as happy as she hoped in her childhood, then it’s acceptable.”

"Don't worry about me biased in this regard. Because that's what I was born for, that's the meaning of my existence."

It's unclear how much of their conversation Zhu Shi actually heard. She simply buried her face in the strands of hair that fell over Xiao Wan's shoulder, and after a moment, she murmured as if in a dream, "...Mom."

"I'm not your mother yet," Little Bowl said.

"Mom," Zhu Shi said stubbornly.

Little Bowl said helplessly, "Okay, okay... I'm Mommy, I'm Mommy."

Zhu Shi held Xiao Wan's tiny body, unable to stop crying. Xiao Wan held her in her arms like a mother, stroking her hair, her young face filled with affection.

(End of this chapter)